Music:
Member Since: 8/8/2006
Band Website: fishtankensemble.com/
Band Members: Fabrice Martinez ( Gypsy Violin and Violintromba): Fabrice is a gifted fiddler who traveled Europe in a mule-drawn caravan collecting and playing folk music with the group Croque Mule for ten years. Originally from France before living in the caravan, he has lived in Italy, Hungary, Romania and now the United States, collecting and mastering music from each region.Ursula Knudson (Musical Saw, Opera Scat, Jazz and Lautari vocals,Percussion, Banjolele and Violin): Back in the States after having lived in Italy for the past two years, where she sang opera on the streets and in the town squares.. Self-taught on the saw, she won 2nd place in the 2004 International Saw Festival. She sings beautifully in Romanian, Romanes, Rom, (yes, three different languages!)French,Italian, Serbian, Japanese, and sometimes even in English, her native tongue.Douglas Smolens (Flamenco and gypsy jazz Guitar): Doug is an accomplished Flamenco and gyspy jazz guitarist performing as "El Douje" with a recently released Flamenco fusion CD entitled Worlds Collide that is available here. In addition to Fishtank Ensemble and his solo flamenco guitar work, doug performs as half of the comedy pop/rock duo foxycock!Aaron Seeman (Punk Accordion): Also plays solo as Duckmandu and is a founding member, arranger, and vocalist for the Punk Rock Orchestra. On accordion he plays Klezmer, Punk Rock, 70's Rock, classical, Broadway songs, and sometimes even a polka or two. In 2005 he completed the solo accordion Punk Rock album Fresh Duck for Rotting Accordionists.Mike Penny ( Tsugaru Shamisen): Mike is only the second foreigner ever to have been awarded for his performance in the national Tsugaru Shamisen Tournament held annually in Kanagi, Japan. There, he won 3rd place out of over 200 competitors in the Spring of 2006. In addition to the Fishtank Ensemble, Mike performs regularly with his primary shamisen teacher Kevin Kmetz in their duet called the Great Masters of Modern Shamisen, and Tom Kurai's Taiko Center of Los Angeles.Djordje Stijepovic (Slap Bass to bring the house down): was a member of leading world music bands in Serbia like Shira Utfila (Sephardic), Kal (Balkan gypsy) and Marsya (Balkan). He finished classical music conservatory and department for jazz arrangement and bass. Djordje performs solo (world music/jazz), provides his signature slap for rockabilly band Atomic Sunset, Deke Dickerson, Slim Jim Phantom (from Stray Cats), Lemmy (from Motorhead) etc and plays with other bluegrass, cajun, jazz, blues and other type of bands.
Influences: Gypsy wedding music, Django Reinhardt, Mozart, Taraf De Haidouks, Kurt Weil, Paco de Lucia, the Rosenberg Family, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Camaron de la Isla, Ennio Morricone, Nappy Cash, Farmers Market, Raymond Scott, Dead Kennedy's, Astor Piazzola, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Opa Opa, Birelli Legren, Gerardo Nuñez, Tom Waits, Sam Cooke, Kocani Orkestar, Gogol Bordello, Huun-Huur-Tu, Yuri Yunakov, Balkan & Eastern European Gypsy music, Warsaw Village Band,
Sounds Like: No one
Type of Label: None
